Fables from the 21st Century
by fornwalt
Summary: When a story is told, Eevee can't help but try her hand at it.
1. Johnny Appleseed

A/N: Okay, here's my next Wall-E story. :) I'm trying to make this fandom a bit more impressive... Anyway. Companion to "Trouble", same new character, blah blah blah. Special thankies to Kayinay (link on my profile) for contributing the ideas for this story. Eventually we'll have a pic of Eevee up on Deviantart, but for now, satisfy yourself with the story. :D

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**Fables from the 21st Century**

**Johnny Appleseed**

The story was Johnny Appleseed—an ancient pioneer originating in a country called America hundreds of years ago. The Captain told it with enthusiasm, as always, while those humans interested in attending that week's class listened intently. Eevee, at the front of the group with the human toddlers, focused raptly on the Captain's words, recording the things he said for future pleasure.

She kept in tune with the humans around her, beaming when they smiled, giggling when they chuckled, and beeping along with the applause as the Captain finished. Just like Eve and Wall-E, she was slowly learning the humans' emotions and how they portrayed them. Eevee had moved past the class of a non responsive robot, developing—as the humans said—an emotional sense and a consciousness of the events around her. Or, in simpler terms, a personality. And just like her father, she was incessantly curious.

It was because of this quirk that Eevee waited patiently until all the other humans had cleared out of the town square before approaching the Captain with what she thought was a dire question. It took a moment to get his attention—he was losing weight rapidly, but he still retained much belly fat, and she was quite tiny to begin with. Finally, when he craned his neck enough to see his feet, and thus Eevee, he laughed and sat down.

"Eevee! What can I help you with today? Did you like the story?" he took the job of educating the other humans in the 'old Earth ways' very seriously, and loved feedback of his weekly classes.

Eevee nodded enthusiastically before holding out one floating hand, "Apple seeds?" she sounded out, repeating the words he had used commonly throughout the story.

The Captain cocked his head and peered closer at her, "You want some apple seeds?"

She nodded again, and he laughed loudly.

"Of course you do! Planting is your directive, after all. Follow me, and we'll see what we can do..." he stood and waddled off, leaving the young robot to zip after him. Keeping up was an easy task, and Eevee surveyed the surrounding area as they headed towards the Axiom. Her beloved plants were making the area greener than ever, and a forest was forming just outside the city limits. Her blue eyes zoomed into the forest, surveying the stick-like trees and bushes that she had helped grow. Beaming proudly, she turned back to the Captain, her mind already set on the task ahead.

The Captain punched in a code on the side door of the Axiom's looming figure, and stood back as the door slid open soundlessly. He sighed and trudged inside, "One day we won't have to use this piece of junk for resources. We'll be able to live off what we create!"

It was clear he didn't expect an answer from Eevee, so she stayed silent as he led her through the white hallways. She noticed the dust collecting on the floors—all the cleaning bots had been reprogrammed to focus entirely on the city, making it more and more presentable as the days wore on. Mo kept them in order out there, but Eevee knew he would probably short-circuit if he ever came back inside the Axiom and saw the mess it had become. On the contrary, the Captain and the other humans seemed almost proud of the state of their past home. It was a pride Eevee didn't understand, and so she left it alone.

The Captain pushed a button on a small door and smiled as the lights clicked on, illuminating the room. Eevee poked her head around his legs to see rows and rows of drawers and beakers. He took a step inside and motioned grandly at the large area, "The DNA room," he told her. "Here's where our ancestors stored DNA of all the old animals and vegetation. The apple seeds should be somewhere around here..." he trailed off and started hunting, leaving Eevee to explore.

She edged away from him, staring up at the old bottles lining one particular shelf. Though she was forced to zoom her vision, she managed to register several strange words that didn't match any in her database—words like "dolphin" and "shark." She blinked, and stored the words in her memory banks for future reference.

"According to the computer," the Captain said loudly, catching Eevee's attention once more, "all those animals will create an ecosystem once they're recreated, and we'll be able to produce so many more things off of the resources they give us. But I don't think the city's quite ready for animals yet."

"E-ecosystem..." Eevee repeated, staring back up at the bottles. She wheeled back over to the Captain, who was currently digging through a drawer.

She watched him for a moment more before jumping when he pulled back suddenly, "Ah hah! Here they are... Apple seeds, straight from the twenty-first century," he shook his head as he handed a small airtight canister to the little robot. "They're as old as your dad, Eevee. Treat them with care. I look forward to trying an actual apple once they're big enough."

She waved her arm in thanks and turned, speeding out of the Axiom without so much as a goodbye to the Captain. Clutching the canister tightly, she turned to the forest, but stopped short. Her memory banks recalled the Captain's dictation of Johnny Appleseed, and she instead headed back to her house. Once she entered the code and slipped inside—noting with relief that her mother was absent, probably out helping Wall-E with his work—Eevee wasted no time in cycling the shelves to find the item she desired.

"Ah!" she cried out, stopping the shelves and rolling over to the far right section, pulling out an old frying pan. She studied it for a moment before setting it upside down atop her head, beaming as she looked at her reflection in the mirror just to the right of the pans. Humming as her mother so often did, Eevee turned and left the truck, still holding the airtight canister in both hands as she started towards the forest.

When she reached the thick grass, she opened the canister with oval fingers and pulled out a single apple seed. She studied it intently, memorizing the curves, color, and size of it. Once she was finished marveling at the physical beauty of it, she glanced around for a good place to plant the seed.

When Eve and Wall-E had decided their daughter would be a planter, they headed straight for the Axiom's computer and the vast supply of knowledge on all of a seed's necessary requirements. From the moment Eevee was aware of her existence, she knew exactly what sort of plants needed what kind of soil, or how much water, or the degree of sunlight to be exposed. As a result, all of her plants grew effectively and remained healthy longer.

So it wasn't shocking that Eevee knew the front lines of the forest would result in the apple seed's death. Traveling further in, she looked around for a good plot of land where the tree would have plenty of room to grow and access to loads of sunlight. Finally, after a half-hour of wandering, Eevee located the spot for the first seed. She put the bag of seeds down, took the lone seed in her right hand, and looked at her left hand expectantly. It instantly merged into a small shovel, just big enough make a fist-sized hole in the ground.

After using the shovel, she set the seed into her hole and covered it with both hands, patting the ground affectionately. Then she aimed her right hand at it and watched as water sprinkled out of the end, the exact way plasma shot out of Eve's cannon. Once the seed was watered, Eevee picked up the canister and started off again.

And so it was that five hours later, she was still planting her precious seeds, though she had traveled a considerable distance away from the city. The forest had grown, and the tiny trees that occupied the areas surrounding the city disappeared to make way for large pines. Eevee marveled at them while she planted, unconcerned with the growing shadows as day became night.

She had three seeds left when she heard a strange sound from just a few feet away. She froze, slowly turning to see the cause of the noise, and blinked when she noticed a little animal poking its head out of a burrow. Intrigued, Eevee rolled closer, peering at the animal curiously. It had feathers, so she knew it was a bird, but she didn't know what kind—she was trained on plants, not creatures. Still, she was captivated by its large golden eyes and the fact that it was about her size; which was rare, considering how small she was.

But as she approached, the bird took a few steps back and ruffled its feathers, blinking those wide eyes. It opened its beak, "Hoo... Hoo..." and Eevee's own blue eyes widened in surprise, then glee. She started to repeat the sound, but just then a light on her body started to flash red, accompanied by a loud beeping. She glanced down at it, then at the bird, who was quickly retreating back into the burrow, frightened. Annoyed at the sound, she pressed the light to turn it off, and the beeping stopped.

She looked back at the bird, who was poking its head out of the burrow, staring at her. She leaned down to eye level and repeated, "Hee, Hee!"

"Hoo... Hoo... Hoo..."

"Hee... Heo... Hoo!" Eevee giggled. "Hoo! Hoo!"

The bird cocked its head and promptly disappeared back into its burrow, and Eevee's eyes dipped sadly. She moved closer to the burrow to try and peek inside when suddenly arms were wrapped around her and she was being dragged away.

"Eevee!" her mother's voice cried happily, and Eve set her down before Wall-E, who quickly wrapped his arms around his daughter as well.

"Eevee!" Wall-E echoed. Eevee blinked twice and glanced up at her parents as they moved away.

"Daddy? Mommy?" she blinked as Eve picked her up, examining every inch of her with eyes dipped in worry. Eve tapped the spot where the light had blinked a little while ago, turning back to Wall-E in exasperation.

"Off," she clarified for him, and he shook his eyes. Eve put her daughter down and pressed the blinking light on her own body, watching as it stopped blinking in response to Eevee's tracking light. Satisfied, she narrowed her eyes angrily and looked down at her daughter once more. Eevee was very close to retreating into cylinder form—her eyes dipping inside her body, her ball almost nonexistent underneath her. She clutched the airtight canister, inconspicuously trying to keep it hidden from her parents.

Eve reached down and grabbed the canister of apple seeds from her, scanning them with the grid-like blue light before handing them to Wall-E. "Plant," she explained, motioning towards Wall-E's body. He took the canister from her, storing it inside himself before turning back to Eevee, who looked heartbroken that her seeds had been taken.

"Apple seeds..." she whimpered.

Wall-E shook his eyes again and pointed at the sky, which was pink from the setting sun, "Late," he sounded out, taking the pan from her head and studying it for a second before storing it with the seeds.

"Trouble," Eve grabbed her little hand and started to head back towards the city. Eevee sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the burrow, where the owl was watching her retreat. She giggled softly and whispered, "Hoo..." one last time to it, beaming when it responded with the mimicked sound. Then Eve tugged on her hand to get her moving, and Eevee trudged back home with one parent on each side.

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A/N: Okay. :) Hope you all liked this, and will check back for updates. It may be a while, tho--I just had my wisdom teeth taken out, and I'm not completely back yet. ;) PS: Reviews are MUCH appreciated!


	2. Little Red Riding Hood

A/N: Another chappie. :) Going to see Wall-E again tomorrow, for time #3! My beta, Krissy, and I plan on sitting to the side, watching and muttering about new plot ideas for this story. So hopefully there'll be another update soon. But now, enjoy this one! :D

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**Fables from the 21st Century**

**Little Red Riding Hood**

Eevee had been watching her father with an intensity only curiosity could produce when he found a small box full of nails nestled between a small tire and a wrecked keyboard. He examined it, cocking his eyes as his fingers delicately opened the lid. Eevee was the first to peer inside, and she reached up and grabbed a single nail, studying it. Wall-E pulled out another, copying his daughter, turning the metal pin around slowly.

But as Eevee began to play with the ancient tool, Wall-E studied the box, eyes retreating slightly as he noticed the worn picture etched into the side. It was of an old human, smiling as he held one of the nails in one hand and a shiny red hammer in the other. Behind him, a house was half-built, and Wall-E could see the little dots signifying nails already driven into the wood.

"Ohh," he looked at his daughter, who was currently giggling as the nail rolled around beneath her head, tickling her. He tapped his fingers together to get her attention, motioning for the nail back. When Eevee handed it over, a bit disappointed, Wall-E added it to the box, closed it carefully, and held it out to the tiny robot.

She giggled again and took it, looking back up at her dad in question. He pointed towards the town square, only a forest's width away, "E-vah." He pointed back at the box.

She looked between the box and the spot where her mother was helping the humans rebuild the city. Surveying the forest in between, her eyes slanted upwards happily. With a nod, she waved to her father and raced down the tower they were on, being careful to hug the inside of the slanted pathway.

What Wall-E didn't know was that at the Captain's last story class, Eevee learned all about the tale of "Little Red Riding Hood". And now, she saw the perfect chance to prove that she was just as brave as Riding Hood, to go on another adventure without the consequences of overly distressed parents.

On the way down the trash tower, her sharp eyes found a cape like the one the Captain had depicted—blissfully ignoring the fact that it was a pale blue instead of the traditional red. Pausing for a moment, she set the box of nails down and took the tattered cape, hooking the hood over her head, just above her eyes. As an afterthought, she tied the loose ends around the top of her body. Then, with the fabric billowing behind her, she sped to ground level.

She started to hum as she slipped into the forest, one arm waving front to back while the other held the box of nails to her side. The wild flowers that had started to grow amongst the trees seemed to dance to her tune, and she could imagine the songbirds whistling along. With the noonday sun filtering brightly through the trees, Eevee stopped to twirl a few times, thinking herself the lovely little girl skipping to her dear grandma's house.

Halfway through the forest, Eevee froze, eyes darting around. A twig had just broken beyond the bushes—she was _positive_ of it! Slowly, her gaze tilted to the sound, blue eyes dipped in fright. Her cape finally settled softly on the grass with a silent hush as Eevee debated on whether to move forward and investigate or escape the scene at top speed.

As silence fell around the forest, she rolled towards the menacing bushes apprehensively. Unfortunately, she hit a dry twig from the overhanging tree and the cracking sound caused her to jump in fright. Wound as tight as Mo on a cleaning spree, Eevee fled towards the humans and her mother. But as she sped along, more twigs snapped, branches rustled, and a big bad wolf jumped out to eat her—

"Hoo!"

Eevee cried out and dropped the box of nails, reverting into her cylinder form in a second. Finally, the sounds quieted, and all that could be heard was flapping and a soft thump. Eevee's eyes rose to see what was happening, and she stared in shock at her little bird friend. It was watching her with its golden eyes, head cocked slightly, feathers ruffled.

"Hoo," it hopped forward, still watching her.

Eevee unfolded, picking up the box of nails—oblivious to the fact that now there was only two inside, with the rest scattered on the forest floor. She giggled, "Hoo!"

The bird clucked, a new sound that Eevee was unfamiliar with, and she instantly tried to repeat it. She couldn't get close, because the sound wasn't a word, but the bird didn't seem to mind her beeps.

She played with the owl for a few more minutes before bidding it goodbye with one last "Hoo!" and started once more for the end of the forest.

None of the working humans or robots paid Eevee a bit of mind as she wound her way through the construction zone searching for her mother. She finally located Eve, holding two strange tools while a human worked away with a third. After a moment of waiting for Eve to notice her, Eevee rewound her recorder and pressed play.

"_Why, Grandma! What big teeth you have!_" the Captain's voice blared out of her speakers, and Eve whirled around, eyes widening in surprise when she saw her daughter. Eevee stopped the recording and held out the box of nails to her mother.

"Daddy," she said proudly.

Eve glanced around for a place to set the tools she was already holding, finally settling on a nearby bench. Then she took the box and—with a wary glance at Eevee—opened it. Eevee beamed as she pulled out one of the two nails remaining, and Eve sighed, handing the box to the human beside her, who was watching the two robots with interest.

"Good," Eve praised her daughter. She leaned over and picked up the edge of the cape, giving Eevee a questioning stare.

"_The story for today is…_ Little Red Riding Hood. _Now, once upon a time…_" Eevee clicked off the recording, and the Captain's voice faded.

Eve sighed again and patted Eevee's head. She glanced around the bedlam of the construction calculatingly and shook her head, getting Eevee's wandering attention again. She pointed back at the forest, making a shooing motion with her hands.

Eevee giggled and obeyed instantly, rolling back the way she came. Now was the perfect time to reenact the story of two weeks ago: _Hansel and Gretel_!

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A/N: This chappie was a pain because my first draft had TONS of things wrong. Poor Krissy must have spent forever betaing. So let's take a moment to thank the beta for making it better! (she reads the reviews, so drop her a thanks too! Without her prodding, this story wouldn't have been an idea at all!)


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